Glendale's Josh Sweeney is twice a national hero

March 15, 2014 - Josh Sweeney of the United States scores past Vladimir Kamantcev of Russia during the Ice Sledge Hockey Gold Medal game between the United States and Russia.(Photo: Dennis Grombkowski/Getty Images)

The biggest American ice-hockey moment at the Sochi Olympics took a little longer than expected to come together.

But, when it finally did happen — at the Winter Paralympics — the victory could not have been sweeter. The U.S. men's 1-0 victory over Russia had all the heartstopping drama of another stunning American win three decades ago.

Call this one, Miracle on Ice, Part II.

The U.S. team's gold medal (the second consecutive U.S. win in sled hockey) proved especially sweet for Glendale, whose hometown hero Josh Sweeney scored the lone goal of the game. A lifelong hockey player, Sweeney lost both legs and his left arm as a Marine in Afghanistan. In the Paralympics finals, he was a force of nature.

"Sweeney played out of his mind," said teammate Taylor Chase. "He has done that the whole tournament and worked so hard that it spreads throughout the whole team."

Thanks to a rare live-feed of the sled hockey finals by NBC, Sweeney's energy now has spread across the country.

It is unusual for anyone to rise as a national hero even once. Josh Sweeney now has attained that status twice, first in war, now in sports.